Record Number of Tourists in Israel

My impression that there were too many tourists in Israel last month was correct.  In fact, there has never been more tourists in the history of the nation.  Haaretz reports:

Nearly 300,000 tourists visited Israel in May, an all-time record, the Ministry of Tourism said.

The number of tourists was five percent higher than May of 2000, Israel's record year for tourism, and at the current pace, 2.8 million tourists are on track to visit by the end of the year, according to the ministry....

By 2012, the ministry's goal is to attract five million tourists, have 220,000 workers employed in the tourism industry and have tourism revenues of NIS 43 billion.

Goals are good, but it might be wise for the budgeters to keep in mind that 5 months after Israel's record-breaking May 2000, tourism nearly ground to a halt for about 3 years.

Tour buses parked near Garden of Gethsemane

If the optimists are right, you're best to avoid the month of May in future years if possible.  You know it's going to be bad when there are no seats left for your group's flight in a year in advance (that's my situation for next May).  Here are some advantages to going in other months:

• February: no tourists (but potentially lots of rain)
• March: everything is green and wildflowers are everywhere
• August: no tourists (but you'll know why as you hesitate to get off the air-conditioned bus)
• October: possibly my favorite month of the year in Israel, with great temperatures and no rain
• December: clearer air (less haze) means better panoramic views

Turkey Familiarization Tour

This might be of interest to some readers:

Dear Professors, Colleagues, and Group Leaders,

We are currently taking sign ups for the MARCH 6-14, 2009 FAM. TRIP! And this year we are offering a SPECIAL optional Extension to Israel!

We are happy to have Dr. Mark Wilson accompany the Fam. Trip group next year, to share his vast knowledge of the country, its culture and history.

The March familiarization trip is for professors who are bringing or would like to bring a group to Turkey and want to come to experience some of the sights on their own before making a group tour. This trip has very limited space because of the special price.  The professor price of $1,195 is land, airfare & tax inclusive, based on double occupancy, with airfare from New York, JFK. The cost of a single room is $1,490 per person. Please ask for our spouse rate. Participants of this trip are responsible for their own transport to and from JFK. If you are interested in signing up for this trip please contact me for further details.

As usual, we will be organizing yet another memorable event, open to all Christians, at the ancient city of Ephesus. 

We would like to invite all of you to join our Famous Ephesus Meeting May 2009! www.ephesusmeeting.com , you can watch our introductory movie here.

Ephesus Meeting 2009 is a spiritual journey to the Biblical Sites and the Early Churches in Turkey. We have many wonderful University, College, Seminary and Church groups join this event. The event is an unforgettable experience of fascinating speakers, wonderful music, and a spiritual ambiance in an ancient land....

We are also excited about our NEW website. Please click here, www.turkeystudyabroad.com, to view our special group programs of Cultural Exploration and Education, Art Programs, Archaeology Programs, Culinary Programs and Ancient Medicine Programs.

We hope to meet you AT OUR BOOTH in Providence, RI November 19-21, at ETS (booth #406), and in Boston, MA November 22-24, at SBL, (booth #117).  We will also be offering an additional meeting, with a slide show presentation, on The Seven Churches, and the Footsteps of St. Paul in Asia Minor.  ETS additional meeting, date and time will be announced and the SBL additional meeting is Sunday, November 23 from 4:00- 6:30 pm....

Ephesus Meeting www.ephesusmeeting.com
Tutku Tours www.tutkutours.com

Travels

I'll be traveling aggressively throughout Israel the next four weeks.  Time and internet access will be limited, so posting will be less frequent.  If you're interested in following a (different) group along on their Holy Land tour, Insight for Living has started a video blog for their trip.  From their first post, it looks they will update it daily and do it with plenty of whiz-bang. 

Jerome Murphy-O'Connor, The Holy Land, 5th Ed.

The best archaeological guide to Israel is now out in its fifth edition.  The Holy Land: An Oxford Archaeological Guide, by Jerome Murphy-O'Connor is the best companion for a trip to ancient sites anywhere in Israel.  The section on Jerusalem is especially lengthy (150 pages in the 4th edition), and the whole is accurate and readable.  Don't expect to find out about hotels or restaurants - this is a guide to archaeological sites only!  The 4th edition came out in 1998, so while I haven't yet seen the new edition, I expect it will have significant updates.  The author has lived in Jerusalem longer than I have been alive.

Turkey Trip for College Profs

If you're a college professor or other tour group leader, you might be interested in this familiarization tour to Turkey in March.  This came via Mark Wilson, who has led two college/seminary groups this year that I recommended.  Both were delighted with their trips.  It's not clear to me if he is apart of this trip or not, but here are the details they sent:

Dear Professors, Colleagues, and Group Leaders,

We are currently taking sign ups for the MARCH 7-15, 2008 FAM. TRIP! The March familiarization trip is for professors who are bringing or would like to bring a group to Turkey and want to come beforehand to do the tour. This is very limited space because of the special price.  The professor price of $1,095 is land, airfare & tax inclusive, based on double occupancy, with airfare from New York, JFK. The cost of a single room is $1,390 per person. Please ask for our spouse rate. Participants of this trip are responsible for their own transport to and from JFK. If you are interested in signing up for this trip please contact me for further details.

We are also exciting for Tutku Tours’ Newest programs; January Trips, Study Abroad Programs and of course our Ephesus Meeting May 2008, www.ephesusmeeting.com in which we will have many wonderful groups and fascinating speakers.  We customize all of our groups’ itineraries to fit their needs. Please ask for any brochures or further details.

We hope to meet you AT OUR BOOTH in San Diego, November 14-16, at ETS (booth #216), and November 17-20, at AAR & SBL, (booth #737).  We will also be offering additional meetings slide show presentations, The Seven Churches, and the Footsteps of St. Paul in Asia Minor.  ETS additional meeting, date and time will be announced and the SBL additional meeting is Sunday, November 18 from 4:00- 6:30 pm. 

We look forward to discussing your future plans for travel in Turkey, as well as our other destinations Greece, Israel, Egypt, Ukraine, and Northern Cypress.

Attached, you will find the inaugural issue of the latest news of Biblical Turkey, in the ‘Asia Minor Report’ newsletter, put together by Dr. Mark Wilson. We hope it is of interest to all of the scholars that we work with!

We have great references from other college and university groups, which we would be happy to share with you!

Please let me know if I can help answer any questions you may have. We look forward to seeing you and your groups here in 2008!

Best Regards,
Erin Dailey
Director of Operations
Ephesus Meeting
www.ephesusmeeting.com

Tutku Tours
www.tutkutours.com

After a trip to Israel, Turkey is the place to go.  You need more than a week, but this is just the familiarization trip to get you to come back for a longer time with a lot of people.

Touring Israel: My Approach

I taught my first college-level tours in Israel when I was 21, and for the past 14 years, I have led many student groups of various shapes and sizes. Here are some suggestions that I believe make for a better tour of Israel, with varying applicability depending upon the group.

1. Do the more mentally challenging sites in the morning. Students are more ready to learn when they are less tired. For instance, if you're visiting the sites north of the Sea of Galilee, I think it's better to go to Hazor and Dan in the morning and drive across the Golan Heights in the afternoon.

2. Whenever possible, keep subject-related sites together. For instance, in the Galilee area, I find it best to group the sites related to the life of Christ together on a single day. This is preferable to bouncing back and forth between various periods. This is not always possible, as, for instance, it isn't practical to visit En Gedi (more OT-related) and Masada (more NT-related) on different days.

3. Always prepare the group. Surprises are usually bad. Warn them the day before if the next day is going to be especially physical, or particularly late, or generally boring. Almost more important than reality are the expectations. I can almost make a lame site good just by thoroughly disparaging it in advance!

4. Don't talk too much. If you do, they won't hear what is important. The goal is not to show off how much you know but to help them understand.

5. Sometimes less is more. It might be better for the group to skip a site than to squeeze it in. It may be better for you to skip an explanation than to give it.

6. Skip more impressive (non-biblical) remains in favor of a less impressive site with a biblical story. I'll skip Beth Shearim, but never Tel Jezreel. I'll skip Sepphoris, but not Nazareth. I'll skip Avdat, but not Arad.

7. Read the Bible where it happened. Don't skip this for your explanation. You can't always read every biblical story on site, but it is better to err on the side of too many than not enough.

8. Don't be afraid to confess ignorance. If you pretend you know and are then shown to be in error, you lose credibility. If you don't have credibility, you're just a chauffeur.

9. Lunch breaks are for eating. When you're done eating, get moving.

10. Do what the group does, even if you've done it a hundred times and hate it. If you skip walking through Hezekiah's tunnel, or you skip watching the Qumran video, it communicates that this is your job and not your passion.

11. Try hard. They'll see it and they'll follow your example.

12. Leave on time. If everyone is not there, leave anyway. If you don't, they learn that deadlines don't matter and within a week, you'll consistently be 15 minutes (or more) late leaving everywhere. And then you miss cool things or won't be able to do #7.

13. Wait for the group. When you're at a site, wait until everyone catches up before beginning the explanation. This communicates that what you say is important, and it reduces the number of questions about the things you already said.

14. Give them time to take pictures after the explanation. If you don't, they'll take pictures when you're teaching and they won't be listening.

15. Love what you do. For me this means not giving tour after tour after tour. If I do, I am not excited anymore. Many tour guides are boring because they are bored. And no wonder, when they do the same tired itinerary week after week.

16. Different guides have different priorities that define the day. Here are some of mine:

• The first view of the Sea of Galilee is from Arbel, always in the afternoon. This creates a lasting memory.
• Take a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee in the afternoon. This is a good change of pace, and afternoons need changes of pace more than mornings. In the summer, it's a refreshing break from the heat.
• Visit Mount Carmel (Muhraqa) in the afternoon. It is one of the top three views in the country and there is often poor visibility in the morning.
• I never skip the Cove of the Sower, even though it's become more difficult over the years. There's less traffic early in the morning.
• I like to visit Cave 1 at Qumran, especially since very few people know where it is.

Visiting Jordan

A good follow-up to the Beyond Cyprus post is yesterday's article in the Star-Telegram about a reporter's visit to Jordan.  The article is well-written and interesting, but the author doesn't mention some of my favorite sites in Jordan, including:

• Macherus - where John the Baptist was beheaded
• Penuel and Mahanaim - where Jacob wrestled with the angel
• Medeba - location of the oldest map of the Holy Land (from 580 A.D.)
• Amman acropolis - where Uriah was killed following David's adultery
• Kerak - capital of the Moabites (ancient Kir/Kir-hereseth)

Too few students of the Bible go to Jordan, and those that do, usually miss the best places.  The University of the Holy Land periodically does a two-week trip in Jordan; it is led by Dr. Ginger Caessens and is excellent.  Their website indicates the next one planned is June 2008.

One other thought from the Star-Telegram article: Bethany beyond the Jordan is quickly becoming over-commercialized.  And it is very likely not the place mentioned in the Bible.

Mountains of Edom

Beyond Cyprus (Where To Go First & Second in the Middle East)

If I could do only one trip to the Middle East to learn about the Bible, I would go to Israel. Second, Turkey and Greece, though for most only western Turkey would be included in the itinerary (and I profited more from eastern Turkey than western). Jordan and Egypt would be next. Near the bottom of the list would be the islands of Cyprus, Crete, Malta, Rhodes, and the city of Rome. If someone can do it all, then they'll gain from it, but most have to choose one or two trips, and for that, I recommend they skip some things. But this recommendation probably isn't necessary because there aren't many trips going to these places as part of a biblical tour anyway. I can't speak to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Iran because I haven't been. Yet. I do think a second trip to Israel is worthwhile, moreso than a first trip to some of the biblical countries.

I would not recommend someone to try to do Israel and Turkey/Greece on the same trip. This is because there is just so much to digest and you don't have the time necessary to do that if the two are put together on an initial trip. Israel largely introduces one to the Old Testament world; Turkey and Greece are a new window into the NT arena. I do believe understanding these "worlds" is very valuable for understanding the Scriptures, even apart from seeing the biblical sites themselves. You just understand Paul better when you see the gods they were worshipping in his day, see the temples that dominated the cities, and see the way of life of the Greek people.

Island of Cyprus #4 (Modern Conflict)

Anyone can tell you that in traveling to a region you will develop a new interest in that region's modern history. The area is now "on your map" and you can understand things that were formerly of little personal significance. The observation has been made many times that Israel's mention in the news of the US is disproportionate to its size. But I wonder if part of the reason for that is that many Americans (both Jews and Christians) have visited Israel. Some people are interested in Israel simply because it's the biblical land, but I would guess that having visited (or having family) there is an even greater reason.

On Cyprus, the major event in modern history was the invasion of the northern half of the island by Turkey in 1974. This issue was relatively unknown to me before this trip, so it was interesting to watch my thinking on the subject evolve as I was exposed to more information. After one day in the southern half of the country, esp. southern Nicosia, it was very easy to emphatize with the Greeks who had lost so much in the invasion. The signs they had posted there as we crossed over to the North were very bold and graphic. Clearly the Turks were animals who deserved the condemnation of the world. But after spending a day in the North and reading and thinking more about the situation, I became convinced that there was a very real other side to the story.

I still don't know a lot, but I can also make some conclusions based on my experience with other conflicts in the world and in history. This is also true given what the world and UN have (and have not!) done since the invasion. Yes, it's true that no other country in the world has recognized the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus (thus the Turks were in the wrong), but it's also true that much more significant pressure could have been applied if the world/UN had thought it necessary (let alone discuss EU entry). But they saw it too - there were injustices on both sides. Yes, the Turks took away land of the Cypriots, but yes, the Turks were not treated well by some of their Greek neighbors. Ultimately, I think it's like a lot of regional conflicts - there are many losers and most of them are not the ones who personally deserve the loss.

White cliffs of Alamanou beach

Island of Cyprus #3 (Museums)

The museums of Cyprus are loaded. I didn't take many photos because most of the museums didn't allow photos. And I didn't go to all of the museums because I just got tired of them. You see lots of the same stuff. But it's still quite amazing just how much stuff there is, from such a small island. And it's also impressive how advanced the cultures were.

The material culture in Israel is quite primitiv e in comparison - in Cyprus they had beautiful pottery, with lots of decorations and fancy designs. The best pottery in the Israel Museum is not as nice as the average material here, from the same periods. The books mention that a lot of the pottery has been removed from the island to other museums around the world (especially the Met in NY). The hotel owner this morning told us that there are no museums in the world that don't have something from Cyprus. That may be an exaggeration, but it certainly says something about the culture here. It also is telling that very few people could tell you anything about the history of Cyprus.

Idols from Archaic and Hellenistic periods

Island of Cyprus #2 (Biblical Insights)

There are two real benefits to seeing and studying Cyprus for biblical purposes, as far as I know. 1) Knowing the biblical world better - seeing Israel/Canaan in the context of their neighbors. For instance, seeing how Cyprus would supply copper in large quantities. 2) Better understanding the missionary work of Paul and Barnabas. I think this means more than simply seeing the sites where they traveled. For me, it's also providing the opportunity and context to think more about this portion of their journeys. So I realize things like:

1. Barnabas was really the leader of the team at this point.

2. Cyprus was a natural place for them to start (indeed this was the first place they came after being sent out), given its proximity to Antioch and the fact that Barnabas came from Cyprus.

3. There was a Jewish community here. It is amazing just how scattered Jews had become after the First Temple Period. They seem to be everywhere in a relatively short period of time. The number of Jews was probably large given the "synagogues" (plural) that Paul went to in Salamis, and their trip "through the island." Their pattern, as evident later, is to go to the synagogues to present the gospel to the Jews and whatever "godfearers" were in their midst. So it seems quite likely there there were Jewish communities that they visited on their travel across the island.

4. I would guess that their route was along the southern shore of the island. This seems more likely given the presence of high (6000+ feet) mountains in the center, and the presence of large cities on the southern coast, including Kition (settled at this time?), Amathus, and Kourion. And others.

5. It is interesting that there is no follow-up on this island tour, outside of Barnabas' return of which nothing is recorded (except in apocryphal works). Paul apparently never writes a letter to any of the communities here, and though he often returns to places of former ministry (e.g., Lystra, Philippi, Corinth, Ephesus), he apparently never comes here, nor mentions Cyprus in any of his writings. Perhaps he ceded the area entirely to Barnabas' ministry and stayed out of his way.

6. The cities that are mentioned in the account of Paul's travels are very large and important cities. This is not surprising given Paul's centers in the rest of his journeys (also major cities), but it is something that a reader in America might never guess. It also "clicks" more when you travel to many sites and see small and medium communities. Then when you come to Salamis and see the huge area that it covers, the large harbor that it had, the theater, forum, bathhouse, gymnasium, you are impressed that this was the "Los Angeles" of ancient Cyprus.

7. Unlike other places of Paul's ministry, the two cities specifically mentioned in Cyprus continued to be major centers until today. Before Salamis existed, the major city on the east coast was Enkomi; this shifted a few miles to Salamis in later centuries, and after it was destroyed, the major population center shifted a few miles to the south to Famagusta, still a major center.

Gymnasium of Salamis

Jericho to Jerusalem

How long does it take to walk from Jericho to Jerusalem?  It took me 8 hours today to cover the distance of 15 miles (24 km) with an elevation increase of about 3400 feet (1060 m).  Not counting breaks, our group of 15 walked for six and a half hours.  It would have taken longer if it had been hotter or if we had run into Condoleeza Rice.  Fortunately, she went to Jericho today to solve the Middle East conflict.

Jesus traveled this route many times.  In fact, every time that he came to Jerusalem from Galilee, he would have traveled up the same Ascent of Adumim (unless permitted to travel through Samaria; cf. John 4 and Luke 9:52-53).  Scriptures record at least one trip of Jesus through Samaria and two trips by way of Jericho.  My guess is that he went this way dozens of times in his life.  Probably his parents had to climb back up to Jerusalem after realizing that their twelve-year-old boy wasn't in their caravan (Luke 2:41-50).  I would've been upset myself to have to make that return journey.

Parts of the Roman road are still visible in places, and the way today is safe and pleasant.  We didn't see any thieves, but did make a stop at the traditional "Inn of the Good Samaritan" (Luke 10:25-37).

Roman road from Jerusalem to Jericho

Sidenote: A couple of years ago I put together a photo essay on Jesus' Final Journey to Jerusalem for Jerusalem Perspective; it is available online to paid subscribers.

Island of Cyprus #1 (Initial Thoughts)

Last year I went on a 5-day trip to Cyprus with a friend. This was part of my project to visit all of the sites that Paul traveled to, and to include them on a new "Greek Islands" CD in the Pictorial Library series. At the end of the trip, I sat down and wrote a series of posts for the blog, which I never got around to posting. Now with the end-of-the-semester time crunch, this is a good opportunity to share these, with the hope that they are both instructive and enjoyable.

I'll start with some of the negatives, moving to some of the more positive experiences and insights in later posts. Overall, I would characterize this trip as less enjoyable to me than other trips because:

1. There are only two biblical sites (Salamis and Paphos) and the connection there is very limited; furthermore, there is nothing at the sites that you can directly connect with the biblical account.

2. The weather was overcast more than sunny, making photographs more dreary. I would recommend visiting in April instead of March.

3. The costs were significantly higher than expected (e.g., $80/day for rental car; $45 for a cheap hotel).

4. Cyprus history is not well known to me, and as I learned more about it, I would confess that it did not become very exciting to me. There are connections with Israel/Canaan, but these are less than one might expect. The Myceneans and Minoans, who I would expect to have more of a connection with this island, don't seem to. There is not much evidence of Jewish presence.

5. The divided nature of the island adds another challenge to travel logistics. It did seem to me that there was no control at the border, such that we could have stayed many days on the northern side and the Greeks wouldn't know (though the rules say you can't stay overnight). They didn't stamp or record our passport when we left, and no one looked at it when we came back in. I could have used another day on the northern side to visit Kyrenia and some sites to its west.

6. They drive on the "wrong" side of the road here (as a former British colony). You drive from the "passenger" seat, and shift gears with your left hand. Of course you learn how to do all of this when starting at the rental car agency in the middle of the big city's downtown.

7. Most of the sites were not well-marked, so oftentimes we didn't know what we were looking at. And there were not brochures to explain it either. I don't know of a good archaeological guide with plans of all of the sites. The Fant & Reddish book was helpful for what it covered.

8. The ruins are not dramatic. There are three sites that have more to see: Salamis, Kourion, and Paphos. But compared with other sites (such as in Egypt, Turkey, Greece, Rome), these are just not impressive.

9. We were a little too early in the season to see all of the colors of spring. The coastal areas were quite green and had flowers, but the mountains were still coming out of winter.

10. Cyprus is largely a tourist vacation spot today, and in many ways it seemed like a great place to come and spend a week with our wives. But it wasn't warm, we didn't spend any time at the beach, and our wives were not with us.

Katyusha Tours

Israelis are now signing up for the latest in domestic travel: tours of the battle spots of the recent war with Lebanon. From the Jerusalem Post:

Beginning at Moshav Avivim, the scene of bloody fights between IDF special forces and crack Hizbullah squads, the tour winds through the hills of the Upper Galilee, stopping to view UNIFIL posts, overlook key Lebanese villages such as Maoun a-Ras, and view the damage caused by Katyusha rockets to both forests and houses.

At Kibbutz Kfar Giladi, tours visit the improvised memorial at the place where 15 reservists were killed when a rocket hit the parking lot in which they were standing....

Since the end of the war, tourists have paid NIS 100 per vehicle to participate in the tours, and while Alon is certain that the excitement will drop off, more tourists keep coming.

Alon said the desire to see the sites connected with the war is natural. "It is one thing to see things on television, or on radio, and another thing to see it," he said.

View into Lebanon from Israel's border, before the 2006 war

Tour de Beth Shemesh

Here's an announcement of competitive and fun bike rides next week:

An invitation to residents, riders, visitors....

Come watch Israeli's top Competitive Road-racing Cyclists compete in Beit Shemesh! Races begin at 7:00 am; Elite long-distance riders start at 10:30 a.m.

Then, take advantage of closed roads for a Public Ride - fun for the whole family! (6.5 km).

WHEN: Friday, July 21st

To register, go to www.bikeisrael.com and click on the Tour de Beit Shemesh banner at the top
of the page (the banner is in Hebrew). Enter each registrant separately.

COST: 30 NIS per person until July 18th. (Special rates for more than 4 family members.) All pre-registered riders (by July 18th) receive a bottle of water, t-shirt, medallion, and certificate of participation.

Riders who do not pre-register may register at the race site on the day of the race. Cost is 40 NIS (but does not include t-shirt, certificate, or a medal.)

Payment for ALL riders is on-site (next to the Beit Shemesh Memorial for Fallen Soldiers on Sderot Ben Gurion, across from the Fire Station), from 8:30 - 11:30 a.m. All riders (pre-registered and unregistered) must check-in before 11:15 am.

Riders under 12 MUST be accompanied by an adult rider. All riders MUST wear helmets.

Competitive riders (ICF insured and with completed health permit), should go to www.shvoong.co.il for more information.

Middle Bronze gate, Beth Shemesh, January 2006

Guess Where These Photos Were Taken

In my completely non-objective opinion, the Pictorial Library is the best collection of Bible-related photos on the planet. But that doesn't mean that we've stopped taking pictures. Today was just one of many incredible days that the Lord has given us lately for photos. It was so good though that I am very tired, and so this blog is going to give only questions and no answers. If you want the answers, sign up for the BiblePlaces Newsletter. If all goes well, we'll have a great issue out next week that answers these questions and more.

The question: where were these pictures taken and what are they?






Hint: they were all taken within a 10-mile (15-km) radius.

Our preference would be that you not put any answers in the comments section (and spoil the fun for others). You are welcome to make other comments or to note how many of the pictures you correctly identified (place and object). My guess is that very few, if any, of my readers know them all (with correct specifics).

Down the Jordan River

Richard Bangs is claiming to be the first guy since Lynch 150 years ago to float a boat down the entire length of the Jordan River. If he succeeds, I'll be impressed, and not only because it's an international border between a Jewish state and an Arab state. But he has reached "Day 4" of the journey and I see that the trip intro was hype and not reality. He's now driving down the road parallel to the river. Now that's an "adventure." Still there may be something of interest to viewers here, as in addition to his narration, there are photos and videos for each day. Unfortunately he does perpetuate the myth (see Day 4) that the Jordan is 200 miles long between the Galilee and Dead Seas. In reality, it's closer to 130 miles.

Flash Floods in the Judean Wilderness (with Photos)

This weekend there was a big storm in Israel. I slept through most of it but realized the magnitude when I saw that my home modem was fried and a network switch at the office wasn't working. I didn't realize how much rain had come down or I might have done the smart thing and jumped in my van to go take pictures. The flash floods closed some roads and killed a few people, but for those with a safe vantage point, they were impressive. That evening I had a dinner scheduled with my friend Ferrell Jenkins. He had scheduled his group to spend the day in the Old City but re-routed because of the storm and thus was out in the wilderness watching the rivers run. I got to sit in his hotel room that evening as he downloaded the pictures from his camera. The shots he got were amazing. He had pictures you wouldn't believe if you couldn't see. Ferrell has graciously sent me a few of those with permission to post them here. I'm up north now and have only a slow internet connection, so these pictures are unfortunately low-res.

This first one shows a wider view. There are multiple "rivers" of water flowing down into the Wadi Qilt. The wadi itself has become a river. This photo was taken from a viewpoint overlooking St. George's Monastery (which is just off to the left).


The second is a close-up of one of the "waterfalls." Most of the year this area is brown and dead. You wouldn't guess that it had seen a drop of water in centuries. Now you know better.


The last shows the Wadi Qilt in Jericho as it runs under a modern bridge. Normally as we cross this dry riverbed on the bus I comment to the students that when it rains this could be a raging torrent. They shrug and ask the driver to please turn up the A/C.


My thanks to Ferrell Jenkins for letting me share these photos here. If you've got a minute, take a look at Ferrell's website, www.biblicalstudies.info. He has put together many excellent and helpful resources during his years of teaching.

A Spring at the Dead Sea

There's always something new to see in Israel. This is one of those things that I've driven (or rode) past dozens of times over the years, but never was aware that it existed. Well, I knew in theory that there are warm, salty springs that contribute to the salinity of the Dead Sea, but I didn't realize that there are a couple that are not built over and are accessible today. This spring is hot, smelly, and shallow, but it's also good for your skin and it's free.

Recommended Turkey Trip

Periodically I am asked to recommend tours to various countries of the biblical world. I usually don't have good answers for them. That is not because there are not lots of tours, but because they aren't ones that I can be comfortable recommending. But I just received this email and can recommend the trip to you. Dr. Mark Wilson is a scholar who knows Turkey like few others.

This May 14–31 I will be leading a study tour to Turkey, and would like to invite you to join our group. The tour theme is “The Journeys of Paul in Asia Minor in their Historical and Geographical Setting.” During our travels we will visit almost every site in Turkey connected with Paul. Full tour details with the itinerary and costs are posted on the homepage of our web site: www.sevenchurches.org.

A unique feature of the trip is our participation in the Ephesus meeting on May 28. For more details on this event, see http://www.ephesusmeeting.com/.

Photos of Destroyed Rolling Stone Tomb

The first point of this post is that this is not news. It happened about five years ago or so. But it took me a few years after it occurred before I visited the site, and then a few more years before I got the idea to put a photo comparison here.

The Shephelah is full of caves, tunnels, and tombs. One of the nicest rolling stone tombs in the country was in the area of Khirbet Midras. This is how it used to look:


Some years ago, vandals destroyed the majority of the tomb. Most suspect that the vandalism was caused by ultra-Orthodox Jews, who are against the archaeological excavation of tombs. This is how the tomb looks now:

Of course, archaeological sites are being destroyed all the time, but not usually sites that are well-known and extraordinary. Sites are destroyed by 1) building contractors who don't want the delay that would be caused by an excavation of their property; 2) looters who are looking for artifacts to sell; and 3) vandals. My guess is that the frequency is in the order listed.

New photos of Hezekiah's Tunnel

I used to think that I took good photos in Hezekiah's Tunnel. I remember when most people's photos didn't come out and mine did (because of the difficulty of focusing in the dark). That was back in the days when I was mainly shooting students in the tunnel for the early IBEX website. But yesterday I had the chance to shoot some photos of the tunnel without students; ones that should have more general use.

As of a few years ago, this was my best shot (currently on the Hezekiah's Tunnel page at BiblePlaces.com). It was used a few years ago by NationalGeographic.com when they did an article about the tunnel.


This is one of the shots I took yesterday. I think it's better.


Curiously enough, some poster on a forum at dpreview.com asked a question a couple of days ago about how to get a good photo in Hezekiah's Tunnel. Now that I had done some experimenting, I had an answer for him.

Don't Come Back to Israel (Go to Jordan)

After spending a semester in Israel, many students have a love for the land and a desire to return. Exactly how to do that isn't always clear. One option that I recommend is to study the "other half" of the land, what is today the country of Jordan. You really don't understand how integral that "half" is until you spend time learning about it (just as most people don't understand the value of knowing the geography of Israel before they come). IBEX used to offer a course on Jordan, but it's been many years since we have. This wouldn't be ideal for returners anyway, because it was a regular semester course. A better way is a short-term program focused on Jordan.

The Biblical Archaeology Society is now promoting their "Jordan In Depth" tour. You can see the itinerary, and if this is your only option, I don't doubt that it would be helpful. But it's certainly not the best, nor is it the best value for your money. You get 8 days touring the land at a cost of $3700 from New York.

A better option is the Jordan program offered by the University of the Holy Land and taught by Dr. Ginger Caessens. This program is about 13 days of touring at a cost of $1575 (without airfare). If you can get airfare for $1100 (from NY), you save $1000 and get 5 extra days. And 2 credits for grad school or college.

I have participated in the UHL Jordan program and it is excellent in every way. The professor has a thorough knowledge of the biblical connections that the BAS program doesn't have. You can see this just by looking at what the BAS itinerary doesn't include: the biblical sites of Ramoth Gilead, Jabesh Gilead, Penuel, Mahanaim, Sukkot, Heshbon, Dibon, Ezion Geber area, and many other smaller sites. To me, these skipped sites are what biblical Jordan is all about. Any tour of Jordan will take you to Petra and Jerash.

P.S. I, of course, get nothing from promoting this. One of the reasons the BAS program is $1000 more for 5 days less is because BAS is taking their cut for promoting the program and I'm advertising the UHL program for free (and without anyone asking). The UHL program also knows how to eliminate multiple layers of middlemen and that cuts the cost significantly.

Poofy White Clouds

Today was a glorious day. Fortunately I was in town early for a lecture and had some free time before the church service, and I took advantage of it. I confess that of late I have become something of a poofy white cloud fanatic. So often the sky in Israel is flat blue and when you get poofy white clouds, the effect is dramatic. Here's Jerusalem from the Mt. of Olives:


I could dig up a picture without the clouds, but it's late and I'm tired, so just imagine :-).

And here's Bethlehem this morning (from the north). This could be my favorite Bethlehem picture. I had to wait a while for the clouds to move so the city was in the sunlight. What I probably like most about the picture is that Bethlehem is hard to see :-). The countryside grabs more of your attention, which is how it all used to be. Now the modern city is so un-photogenic that you really can't get anything interesting inside it.

My only regret on the day is that I wasn't on the Mount of Olives for the beautiful sunset. Instead I watched it in my rearview mirror as I drove back into town for an evening lecture.

City of David, Then and Now

I decided that blog format with its narrow width didn't quite suit tonight's post, so I've put it on a separate page. Today after dropping our three oldest off at VBS, I headed to the City of David with a handful of old photographs that I had printed off. My goal was to get the "now" version. For the most part, it was not successful. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it greatly, but it means that things have changed so much that many times I couldn't even get to the same location where the photograph was taken (or figure out exactly where it was). But I had success in a couple of places, and one of them I have posted, with downloadable high-res versions so you can flip back and forth between them. Take a look.